Savory citrus dishes are the cure to the salt, fat and carbs of holiday dinners - Houston Chronicle

Bright, juicy fruit is hanging from citrus trees all across Texas right now, and those zesty delights offer a refreshing and acidic antidote to the weeks of cooking bookended by the salt, fat and carbs of the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners we’re all gorging on this holiday season.

Whether you’re plucking lemons, limes, grapefruits or oranges fresh off a tree or buying them in the local supermarket, citrus fruit has countless uses in savory and satisfying main courses and side dishes.

While citrus can bring some sweetness to a plate, the reason to incorporate the fruit goes well beyond a burst of sugar. The acidity in all citrus — even notably sweet options such as mandarins, clementines, oranges and the like — can serve the same function as vinegar, wine, tomatoes and other tangy ingredients. And we have four recipes to prove it.

Blood oranges get their name from the deep crimson color in their flesh caused by chrysanthemin, the pigment also found in elderberries, black rice, purple corn and other deeply colored plants. Not only do they look dramatic, but their tangy juice helps elevate the irresistible savoriness of a roasted chicken scattered with orange slices and olives.

Tart and slightly bitter grapefruit is the perfect foil for the air-dried and quite salty cured Italian beef called bresaola, with that acid significantly reducing the meat’s saline sting. Citrus can also temper the peppery bitterness of vegetables like radishes, which can be shaved into a salad splashed with orange and lemon juice.

And there’s a reason pasta tossed in lemon and cream sauce is so addictive — one of citrus’s best uses is in slicing through fat for a lighter feel on the palate. A traditional pot of butter beans or collard greens, for example, will often be doused in bacon grease or butter. A generous dose of lime juice and zest will make all that richness feel lighter and brighter.

However you put them to use in your kitchen, fresh Texas-grown citrus fruits will be abundantly available for the next few months. And even if you don’t feel like cooking between the holidays, your next cocktail or mocktail will be all the more refreshing with a twist of lemon or lime.

Recipe: Bresaola with Grapefruit and Lettuce

Recipe: Orange Radish Salad

Recipe: Limey Lima Beans

Recipe: Chicken with Blood Oranges and Olives

pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen

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Savory citrus dishes are the cure to the salt, fat and carbs of holiday dinners - Houston Chronicle
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